Erdogan reportedly seeks White House meeting with Trump in April: US media
U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan participate in a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House on Nov. 13, 2019 in Washington, DC. (AFP Photo)
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is working to arrange a meeting with Donald Trump at the White House later this April, Turkish officials said, requesting anonymity to discuss private deliberations speaking to Bloomberg.
The Turkish government sees strengthening the strategic partnership between Türkiye and the United States as crucial for regional stability, especially as Ankara aims to assert itself as a key power broker on issues ranging from the Ukraine crisis to the ongoing conflict in Syria.
Speaking to Bloomberg on condition of anonymity, the officials also emphasized the importance of Türkiye’s role as a NATO linchpin, particularly as the U.S. reassesses its commitment to Europe.
The Turkish government’s office has declined to comment on the planned meeting.
Defense sanctions, F-16 and F-35 discussions
During a Sunday call with Trump, Erdogan urged the U.S. to lift sanctions on Türkiye’s defense industries imposed during Trump’s first term.
He also requested that Ankara’s exclusion from the F-35 fighter jet program be reversed and that a pending deal for F-16 sales be finalized.
“President Erdogan stated that regional and global developments necessitate increasing consultations between Türkiye and the US on all issues, that they support US President Trump’s determined and direct initiative steps to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, and that Türkiye has been striving for a just and lasting peace since the very beginning of the war and will continue to do so,” the Republic of Türkiye Directorate of Communications stated in a readout of the call.
“President Erdogan stated that steps are expected from the US in the new period regarding the fight against terrorism with an understanding that considers Türkiye’s interests and that to develop cooperation between the two countries in the field of defense industry, it is necessary to end CAATSA sanctions, finalize the F-16 procurement process, and finalize Türkiye’s re-participation in the F-35 program,” also stated in the readout of the call between Trump and Erdogan.
